Posted on 04/18/2002 8:50:23 AM PDT by gubamyster
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - A group has collected signatures from about half the law students at the University of Oregon, asking the school's athletics department to boycott games against teams with American Indian mascots.
The Sport and Entertainment Law Forum says it wants to use the success of the UO's sports program to press the issue with other universities.
The group is also asking UO student athletes to pledge never to accept an offer from professional teams that use American Indian nicknames, such as the Washington Redskins.
Frank Silva, a UO law student and member of the forum, said he hopes a majority of his class of about 500 will sign before the resolution is submitted to UO President Dave Frohnmayer for consideration.
``It's a statement of solidarity from our school,'' Silva said.
If successful at the UO, Silva hopes to begin circulating the resolution nationally and to put pressure on universities and even professional teams to drop the names.
No teams in the Pacific-10 conference use Indian names.
The UO football team, however, is scheduled to play the Utah Utes in 2003.
The Utes take their name from an Indian tribe. The tribe has given the university its permission to use the name and logo of two eagle feathers and a drum, as long as they are used in a positive manner.
UO standout quarterback Joey Harrington is expected to be a first-round draft pick on Saturday and could be picked by the Redskins.
Oregon's football and men's basketball teams are highly ranked nationally. Silva said that puts UO in a good position to pressure other schools.
``We're really in a unique position to pull this off,'' Silva said. ``It seems like a fundamental civil rights issue.''
A recent poll by Sports Illustrated magazine indicated that 75 percent of American Indians do not believe that the use of Indian team names and mascots contributes to discrimination.
Idiots.
LOL.
Seems to me the other teams would welcome their boycott. That way they will play a low ranking or unranked team instead, improving their record and ranking.
let's see if Joey is picked by the Washington Redskins if he will turn down a multi million dollar deal to play!
So, they don't even have 500 signatures, and this is somehow newsworthy?? These kids could be out doing something that is actually productive and helpful in society, yet they squander their time by devoting to such inane causes as sports teams with Indian mascots. What a sad misapropriation of talent and time. The funny part is that maybe a few of these kids will look back on this in about 5 yrs and realize they squandered their time on such an utterly ridiculous cause.
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